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WCA will host an educational seminar, "Collective Bargaining and Arbitration," on July 28 in Stevens Point. Learn more here. |
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Amount of an incentive award, in the form of a Visa gift card, being offered by the Downtown Denver Partnership to downtown workers who cycle, carpool or take public transit to work for 15 days during August, when the city will host the Democratic National Convention: $100.
Source: Denver Post |
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The state Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Menasha Corp. and against the state in a high-profile sales tax case that will cost the state nearly $300 million. The decision means lawmakers may have to return to Madison to modify the budget.
A divided court affirmed the appeals court decision in the case, ruling that the state incorrectly collected sales tax on customized computer software sales.
In addition to the $265 million collected from companies with similar tax situations, the ruling means $28 million that would have been collected this year won't have to be paid.
Read the full WisBusiness.com story here.
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 Phase Two of The Wisconsin Way is now underway, with a public forum being held in Green Bay on Thursday, July 17. Dates and locations for the statewide forums include:
Eau Claire: June 24
Oshkosh: July 10
Green Bay: July 17
Waukesha: July 21
Wausau: July 23
Kenosha: July 24
Columbus: July 28
La Crosse: July 29
Janesville: August 4
Platteville: August 5
Superior: August 7
Milwaukee: August 11
Rhinelander: August 12
Appleton: August 14
Madison: August 19
For more detailed information on each location, click here.
Online registration is currently available for the second round of public forums. Registering ahead of time helps ensure there is sufficient space and seating, so please register and please pass the word.
You can also find recently posted data from public opinion polls conducted in January and May. Simply log in to the Web site with your e-mail address, and you'll be able to access this research and learn what residents across the state are saying about taxes, local services, economic development and the future of Wisconsin. |
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The Wisconsin Supreme Court, on a 4-3 vote, ruled against the Town of Madison last week, which sought to have Dane County pay $75,000 of the cost of constructing a bridge which was not connected to a road at the time. The decision reversed Court of Appeals and Dane County Circuit Court decisions awarding the town "bridge aid."
The majority opinion, written by Justice Butler, concluded the bridge in this case was not a "bridge on a highway maintainable by the town" within meaning of s. 81.38 "because the bridge aid petition did not request funding to help connect the bridge to a highway maintainable by the town or the frontage road extension project in its entirety, because there was no existing highway extending to the planned bridge site at the time of the town's petition (to the county for bridge aids) and because the bridge was still not connected to a highway upon completion." (Source: The Wheeler Report)
Read the full Supreme Court ruling here. |
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 WCA will host "Opportunities and Challenges of an Aging Society Statewide Summit" August 19-20, 2008 at the Marriott Madison West. The two-day conference will take an in-depth look at aging issues and bring together some of the state's leading experts.
In addition to general sessions each of the days, there will be concurrent workshops on issues such as aging and disability resource centers, transportation coordination, and caregiver support. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Robert Applebaum, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Gerontology and Director of the Long-Term Care Project at the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
The WCA Aging Summit has been an initiative spearheaded by WCA President and Oconto County Board Chairman Lee Rymer and promises to be a worthwhile event for county officials around the state. Sign up today, as space is limited.
Click here for a full tentative agenda, including registration and housing information. |
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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) needs your feedback on state surface water quality standards that are proposed for revision or development during 2008-2011.
The DNR has prepared a draft prioritized list of which standards and related guidance topics we propose to address over the next three years. There are 23 different topics under consideration, a subset of which will be selected to be addressed from 2008-2011. The DNR would like to hear your perspective on this draft list and learn where you feel their efforts should be focused first to protect surface water quality in Wisconsin.
An online Public Ranking Survey is now available on the DNR website for you to participate in this prioritization effort. The survey will be available for 45 days, from July 8 through August 22, 2008. |
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A two-day seminar, "Clean Water: From Politics to Policy," will be held July 24-25, 2008 at the Manitowoc Holiday Inn. This conference is for policy makers and technical staff who want to listen, learn and act.
Are the rules relating to stormwater the best or only alternative? Will we have clean water as a result? If you have asked these questions - come and get the answers!
Go to www.1kfriends.org for conference details, accommodations and registration. This seminar is co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association. |
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 WCA Executive Director Mark D. O'Connell will guest host "Business Solutions with Diane Chamness" on July 26, 2008 to discuss the current political climate in Wisconsin.
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This month, NACo released the Healthy Counties Database, a new resource designed to help county officials prevent childhood obesity in their communities. The database contains more than 100 profiles of model policies, programs and initiatives that counties across the nation have enacted to promote healthy living.
Each profile includes a brief description of the best practice, county demographics, contact information, funding sources and additional resources. Visit www.healthycounties.org/database to browse the database on NACo's Web site. |
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